


Bedside Manners

by Emanemmy12



Series: How Two Halves Become a Whole [9]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 15:57:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2856689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emanemmy12/pseuds/Emanemmy12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from Tumblr: Shaw gets taken while protecting Root. Whoever takes her tortures her for information. Eventually the team find her. Root takes care of her while she's healing. Shaw might be good at taking care of others (medically) but she's a terrible patient</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bedside Manners

It turns out that breathing is a surprisingly difficult thing to do. Shaw was finding this out the hard way. Her body ached, her lungs felt like each time they expanded that it would be the last. She would have laughed at the irony of this situation, but she had no extra energy to give. All of her concentration, all of her mind was focused on getting her lungs to work. Never mind the burn of pain it gave her throat, never mind the shooting pain in her hands and fingers. Sameen Shaw was breathing. She would keep doing that until they came for her. Either her captors to finish this or Reese and Root. Both options were fine by her. She had lived a good life. Shaw had saved many many people. This wasn’t something that they would ever know, but that didn’t matter. A grimace appeared on her face instead of the smile that Shaw wanted to show. It was kinda funny. Who would have thought that she’d end up like this over Root?

They had run into the wrong people. People who were well on their way to understanding how the world had changed. Shaw had put herself between them and Root. She had been the one that she wanted, the one who actually had the answers and so there was no way that Shaw was going to let that happen. She had been overwhelmed eventually. There had been too many bodies. Even she couldn’t have gotten away. She was lucky that they had just knocked her unconscious and dragged her away. Shaw had awoke god knows how much later zip tied to a chair. Ironically the last time that something like this had happened was also because of Root, but she had been the one who had zip tied Sameen. With these people, she hadn’t even bothered to speak. Shaw had tuned them out effortlessly, trying to come up with ways to escape. Yet, somehow, she had never gotten to them. There had been too much immediate pain. A sudden ran through her body as she remembered. It was torture very similar to what she herself used to do. Though they also liked to use her as a punching bag too. Shaw had lost track of the damage eventually. She could feel her consciousness fading again and she welcomed it. There was a limit to the pain that she could tolerate and this was about that level. She was too far gone by the time gun fire broke out. 

Shaw woke up and could hear the steady beeping of a heart monitor. The room was well lit and she instantly recognized it as one of Harold’s safe houses. She heard the gentle beeps slow down and looked down to see that it was most definitely her heart that was being monitored. She groaned and tried to push herself up. A shooting pain danced across her chest and Shaw gave up on trying to get up. She had been right about the broken rib. Shutting her eyes, Shaw could feel her body relax. The entire time she’d been taken she had hoped that they would come for her. She hoped those bastards had gotten what they deserved and knowing that Root had helped them come for her, she was sure that they had. Everything still hurt. She lifted her hand and rested it on her chest, every move sending jolts down her spine. The sound of heels hit her ears and Sameen gave a grateful sigh. Someone she could talk into letting her get out of here. Though things had been oddly strained with Root since her untimely confession, Shaw knew that the basis of their relationship was on trust. Something to her which is often more tricky than love. Shaw pulled open her eyes with effort and there was Root, hovering near her right. 

Seeing the flicker of movement, Root shifted, her eyes softening in relief. When she had seen Shaw tied to that chair with blood caked on her lips, something had tightened in her heart. It reminded her of all the times she had lost others. But now, seeing her eyes open, Root knew that Shaw was still alive. “Next time how about you leave the heroic gestures for me, mm?” Root asked. 

Shaw gave a derisive snort and then winced. Root immediately bent, her hand going to rest on Shaw’s. She got waved off. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” Her voice was rougher than normal as it had been so unused. It hurt to talk, but Shaw just kept going. “I’ve been through worse.” She made an attempt to get up again, to show Root that everything was fine and a gentle but firm hand pressed her back into the bed. 

”Oh no. There is no way that you are getting up.” Shaw groaned in protest, but Root’s hand remained firm. “I’m not losing you again.”

”Well I wasn’t aware that I was particularly lost,” quipped Shaw, rolling her eyes. Eye rolling didn’t hurt at least. The good thing about pain is that once you know where it is, you can avoid it or indulge in it as much as you liked. The assessment was that most of her pain came from her rib, everything else was secondary and therefore tolerable. “Either way I’m fine.”

As Shaw tried to get up once more, Root raised an eyebrow. “Fine?” She moved her hand and unceremoniously jabbed at the healing bone causing Shaw to cry out and sink back into the bed. 

”What the fuck Root?” she cried, the offense of provoking her injury was great in her mind and Shaw hit Root’s hand away with vigor. Shaw hated to be kept somewhere. It wasn’t like she was of a great injury. The bed could be used for someone who actually needed it. 

Root gave a smile, though the effect of it was more menacing than charming. “You, Sameen Shaw, are going to stay here until you are better. Whether you like it or not. This can either go two ways. One, you can take care of yourself, or two, I can come here everyday to make sure that you don’t make yourself worse.” 

Shaw raised her eyebrows and angled her head upwards. Just because she was lying down physically didn’t mean that she would take Root’s gentle bullying lying down. “And how exactly are you going to make sure that that happens?”

”Oh please, we both know that the Machine would be happy to keep an eye on you as I ask. I worry about you, Sam.” She hoped that her words would reach Sameen, but so far it didn’t seem like they had. She grumbled in her mind that for someone who had been going to medical school, Shaw was certainly a terrible patient. 

Shaw shook her head. “Even if you worry, you should know that I do just fine. I’ve always been fine even without your help! You have no idea half of what I’ve done for IS-!” Her tirade was cut short by Root stooping and forcefully kissing her. It was cut short by Sameen wincing in pain, but it was enough to force her to stop speaking and just glare at Root who pulled up a chair so she wasn’t towering over the bed quite so much. 

”You can glare at me all you want, that doesn’t change the fact that you are very injured and getting up to do things won’t help it.” Root smiled and reached over to again take Shaw’s hand, intertwining their fingers together. It felt nice to have Sameen there and solid. The warmth of her hand in Root’s to reminder her that she was still here. It made her gave a smile and her other hand came up to brush a hair away from Sameen’s face. It was an awkward angle, forcing Root to turn into Shaw to get it right. “Just stay safe,” she softly pleaded, her eyes which were now on Shaw’s level peering into the fiery brown ones with something akin to desperation. “I care for you too much to let you go.” It was as close to I love you as Root could seem to force out of herself. She was surprised that it was her that was having difficulties opening up and talking about her feelings, but they both did have their fair share of issues. Her own greatly revealed around trust and while she trusted Sameen almost as much as she did the Machine, Root was still slow to believe in this human staring back at her with such angry eyes. Humans had always taught Root that they were unreliable, untrustworthy. But Shaw…honestly she had never done anything more than she said she would. 

”Yet you won’t even say what I said to you,” Shaw shot back, her tone filled with less annoyance than when this conversation had started. She knew she was fishing. To her it seemed like an equal trade for her to stay in bed for weeks. Something to pacify her at least. Root’s face turned to one of pleading. It was a cruel ask, especially after having nearly lost Shaw. “I’m just saying,” Sameen said in a clipped tone that slow shifted to teasing. “When the one who doesn’t feel emotions says I love you first, you know you’ve got issues.” She would have preferred to pull Root into her bed and just have sex, but Shaw doubted that would go very well in her weakened state. 

”I just need time, Sam, you know I do feel the same.”

Shaw rolled her eyes. “I’m aware. You started this whole mess, you know.” To that Root tilted her head, raising her eyebrows. Shaw pursed her lips. She had been the one who’d started the kissing. “You know what I mean,” she growled. 

Root’s hand that had originally came to move Shaw’s loose hairs had those dark locks woven in between them now, darkness dancing on light. “Sameen, please.” Root gave her most wide puppy eyes. 

There was a resounding groan. “Alright fine. But there are rules. One, no helping me with my food.” 

Root laughed. “That’s an easy one to manage. Anything else?”

”I’ll come up with them when you do something to annoy me.” Root leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to Shaw’s forehead. As she stood, Sameen wiped the place, shooting her a pained look. “Things like that,” she warned. Root merely smiled. She knew that she had won and that, for now, Shaw would be content to stay in bed and let herself heal. It was time for supper soon, however, and Root had to make haste. A hungry Shaw was even less likely to listen to her than the normal one. After saying good bye, Root left with a smile on her face. The whole thing had gone exactly as she had planned.


End file.
